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Index of Subjects In my yard in White Point it is really quietening down now except for the various nurseries. I hear squawking indicating some eggs have produced. I am not sure who is exactly where, though. There is a pair of swallows building a nest in just exactly the worst spot. I am having fits as we left an old house up on a pole for winter protection and it is easily accessible by any squirrel worth its salt. I can't do the ladder thing and Steve is getting annoyed with the '.....please do this and that needs ...' as he sees it all as an act of nature. I want successful fledges. I tried putting a towel on the clothes line and running it to flap outside the house but so far that hasn't worked. Last I saw the female was trying to pull threads out of a raggedy edge. I went out and banged the post with wood handles and all that did was set the female to looking at pulling my hair out (for construction purposes, I am sure). The swallows used to near drive a big Husky dog we had by pulling at the hairs in the tip of his tail. I used to put out the contents from my hair brush but got concerned I might transmit disease to the birds somehow, so I stopped. Coming to the feeders there are still a couple chickadees, juncos, way to many grackles, a few starlings, a pair of barn swallows and mourning doves including a young one, I think. Very pretty and all spotted and looking rather victorianish and lacy. A group of three American goldfinch males that put me in mind of a couple of high school boys arrive about supper time each evening. they are funny to watch. A couple robins are busy running groceries in to the trees and a song sparrow or two are as well. The thing is for the first time since we moved here 18 years ago there aren't any white throats nesting as far as I can see. Very few if any warblers, vireos or flycatchers. No sign of a mockingbirds and the oriole that was here over night seems to have moved on. There are still a couple males and at least one female Red winged blackbirds dropping in from time to time and the red winged blackbird/blue Jay combination seems to have come apart. The blue jays sits for long periods of time in the grape vine and feeds occasionally but seems ok. Just is alone. Flutters its wings when the redwinged male comes in but he seems to have the female in his tow now so he ignores it. (a touch of soap opera?) The woodpeckers (both hairy and downy) are still visiting regularly and demanding the seed cake be replaced, OH!! and the northern flicker has visited it, as well, as the hummingbird feeder. That was interesting watching that bird trying to manoeuvre at the ports. I have to get water outside for them. There seems to be two male hummingbirds, and maybe still just one female. Lots of swooping and "u"ing. The little male with the leg either banded or damaged and scruffy wings, I haven't seen for a couple days. I did see one ground (by car/ truck I expect) into the pavement. Not enough left to try to salvage. A crow was giving it the once over. Yesterday we had a female Rose breasted Gross beak, very hungry, enough she was trying to get on the seed cake. She moved away from the feeder every time a grackle came but she stood up to a piggy mourning dove. Last evening I saw a solitary night hawk as company came in the door. oh and a bat! I am seeing a couple quite large butterflies that remind me of monarchs but.......from a distance and so nothing positive. I heard a cat bird, haven't seen one, and the male cowbird is back but not hanging out at the feeders so much. That's it from here Marg Millard, White Point Queens http://margmillard.ca
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